Debt collectors called her as many as ten times a day, even though she was under no legal obligation to pay her husbands debt.

Retired office worker Linda Long's husband, Millard, owed $16,651.52 on a Bank of America credit card when he died of colon cancer in March of 2010.

So Bank of America went to his surviving family members to recoup as much of that sum as possible — it's something banks do a lot.

After an investigation last year, the Federal Trade Commission found that America's major banks often try to convince living family members to pay the debts of their deceased loved ones. These family members usually aren't responsible for the debt (unless they co-signed on loan or something) and the actual collecting is usually outsourced by the bank to a collection agency.